When Were The Angels Created? Follow Up

Re:When were the Angels created? The answer you gave seems to be very incorrect Scripturally. We have recently had this discussion in our Institute and through studying Scripture have found a very clear answer. I wonder if you might look at it and see if we are out in left field.

We read in 2 places:
Col 1.16 “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:…”

Exodus 20:11
“For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day:…”

So if everything was created in that 6 day period, the Angels must also have been created in that 6 day period. The indication would seem to be that they were created in the first couple days – before man – but, as you say, there is no way to be sure because we are not told. But you quote from Job 38.7. Could that mean they rejoiced in their own creation – that they were created with the excitement to serve God? And if we take that verse, it would seem that the Angels and the stars were created on the same day.

A

You may think you have found a very clear answer, but it’s incorrect, and the way you can tell it’s incorrect is that it forces you to reinterpret Job 38:7 into something the Lord didn’t intend. The problem you have is with the words translated heaven in Exodus 20:11 and Colossians 1:16 They can mean everything from earth’s atmosphere (the sky above us) to the throne of God. You get the meaning the writers intended by the context in which the word appears.

In Genesis 1:6 God explained what He meant by “heaven” in the creation account. He said it’s the expanse between the waters below (on earth) and the waters above (a water vapor canopy that surrounded the earth before the flood). Viewed from that perspective we can tell He wasn’t speaking of creating the Universe or the place of His throne on that day but of the earth and it’s atmosphere. That excludes the realm where He and His angels dwell, and means they weren’t part of the 6 day creation.

Viewed from this perspective you can read Job 38:7 literally, just like God meant for us to do. By the way, morning stars and angels in Job 38:7 both refer to beings. Lumps of matter that shine in the night sky don’t sing. Angels are also called stars in Rev. 2:20 and Rev. 12:4 and Jesus called Himself the bright morning star in Rev. 22:16.

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Jack Kelley published over 9,000 Bible Study resources here from 1999, until the Lord called him home in the fall of 2015. His teachings made the Bible clear and easy to understand, and impacted millions of lives. He is the author of all the teachings here, and all materials are available free of charge! His wife Samantha maintains this site as well as their missionary outreaches.